Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker is knocked out of bounds by Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Jalil Brown during the second half of an NFL football game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

KANSAS CITY — They were flat and maybe a little full of turkey, stuffing and press clippings.

The Broncos were missing energy and missing field goals. They were missing tackles, missing blocks, mis-hitting punts and missing assignments.

What the Broncos did have here Sunday on a sunny, comfortable, late-November afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium was the better team and a real good quarterback in Peyton Manning.

Uninspired as they may have been, the Broncos defeated the inspired but woeful Kansas City Chiefs, 17-9. The Broncos solidified their large lead in the AFC West by winning their sixth in a row, improving their record to 8-3. Kansas City is locked in the AFC West basement with a 1-10 record after their losing their eighth straight.

The flow of this game, though, made it difficult to tell which team is going where at regular season's end. The Chiefs had head coach Romeo Crennel demonstratively chewing out his offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, a couple times early in the game. Yet in their dysfunctional manner, the Chiefs were competing.

From the start, the Broncos didn't seem with it.

Playing against former quarterback teammate Brady Quinn, the Broncos were gouged early by Kansas City's running game that was mixed with short, move-the-sticks passing.

The Chiefs took a 6-0 lead on two Ryan Succop field goals in the first quarter and it stayed that way until late in the half when Manning finished off a 94-yard drive by hitting tight end Jacob Tamme for a 7-yard touchdown pass 18 seconds from intermission.

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The Broncos have now scored with 6, 1, 0 and 18 seconds left in the first half this season.

But when the Broncos opening second half drive ended with Matt Prater's second missed field goal, there seemed to be a prevailing feeling that either the Chiefs could pull off the unlikely upset, or the Broncos would have to get nasty, tough and efficient to avoid getting beat.

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles moved the ball deep enough into Broncos territory for a 49-yard Succop field goal that put Kansas City ahead, 9-7, midway through the third.

But Manning mixed uncanny accurate passes with Knowshon Moreno runs to put the Broncos back on top. A beautifully thrown 30-yard pass from Manning to Demaryius Thomas down the left sideline put the Broncos up 14-9.

The Broncos didn't clinch the game until the first play after the 2-minute warning when Manning completed a third-and-long deep down the left sideline to Thomas, who on the play went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season. Soon after, Prater kicked a field goal making it 17-9.

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